Ottokar Czernin

Ottokar Theobald, Count of Czernin von und zu Chudenitz (26 September 1872-4 April 1932) was Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary from 23 December 1916 to 14 April 1918, interrupting Stephan Burian von Rajecz's two terms in office. During World War I, he was known as a "Peace Minister" for his many (failed) attempts to achieve peace, and he was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the dissolution of Austria-Hungary.

Biography
Ottokar Czernin was born in Domokur, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary on 26 September 1872 to a wealthy aristocratic family, and he entered the imperial diplomatic service as a young man of 23. He believed in the need to restore the authority of the aristocracy and opposed the introduction of universal suffrage in 1908. As Foreign Minister from 1916 to 1918, he failed to realize the aim of Charles I of Austria for an armistice, mainly because his attempts were leaked to Germany, and Austrian foreign policy hence lost any freedom of independent maneuver. In domestic policies, he opposed Charles' administrative and constitutional reforms. In February 1918, he managed to secure a separate peace treaty with the Ukrainian People's Republic, ceding Kulm (Chelm) to Ukraine. His downfall was caused as a result of the French president Raymond Poincare's secret negotiations with Emperor Charles I concerning the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France; Czernin was aware of the letter's existence, but he said nothing. After Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau published the letter, Czernin felt betrayed by Charles I and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and he resigned. He lived in Austria after the war, and he died in 1932 at the age of 59.